A product design case study

The context:

— gastric band & gastric bypass keyhole surgery;

— abdominal cavity inflated with carbon dioxide;

— lens of laparoscope quickly becomes contaminated;

— ‘like driving 100mph in heavy rain without winscreen wipers’.

A great problem but challenge the brief:

— too many moving parts;

— difficult tape geometry;

— complex user interface;

— uneconomic as a single use medical device.

Simple is best:

— fluid energy instead of mechanical movement?

— Apollo 13 principle — use what you have: CO2.

Many rapid prototypes based upon:

— fluid dynamics (at Imperial College);

— computational fluid dynamics;

— informed guess work

— knowledge of how things are made fluid dynamics;

— informed guess work based on knowledge of how things are made

Design principles

— “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.” Eliel Saarinen

— The Principle of Parsimony - It is pointless to do with more what is done with less (Occam’s Razor)

— Review the decision tree in the light of new information

— Develop and trust your intuition